Achievements Unlocked

So, your Monday post is a day late, but I have an excellent excuse! Several excellent excuses, as a matter of fact.

First, the big news: Yesterday, I submitted my very first piece to my very first paying market EVER. For such a simple thing, it’s a huge accomplishment for me, an event almost as momentous as it was surreal. Even if it gets rejected–and judging by the stats for the market I chose, it probably will–it’s filled me with motivation. I’m not just blindly stumbling around, wistfully hoping for a writing career. No, now I’m actually making one happen.

The second bit of news, which might be a bit of a letdown after the first: I spent more time writing yesterday than I ever have in a single day, by FAR. I wrote steadily from 9:00 to 2:30, and then from 5:30 to 7:30. Seven and a half hours. For a professional, that might be an average day. For me, it was a marathon. A good one, too, because I accomplished all of my goals.

I think I’m going to make these weekend short story sprints a routine thing. Not necessarily the six-hour days, of course, but I want to take regular breaks from my novelling project, and write some stories to sell. Nothing will help me get a few writing credits under my belt than sending a shotgun blast of stories out into the market, and nothing will help my skills more than continually stretching them.

One small step for a man, one giant leap for my career. My accomplishments yesterday were tremendously satisfying for me, but only insofar as they don’t stay singular. I need to build on them, make them routine. So, back to the grind. My motivation is through the roof, and I want (need) to milk that for all it’s worth!